Over 60,000 Flee Sudan's City In the wake of Seizure by RSF Militia, United Nations Reports
As stated by the UNHCR, more than 60,000 civilians have left the Sudanese city of el-Fasher, which was taken over by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces over the weekend.
Accounts suggest summary killings and human rights violations as paramilitary forces entered the city after an 18-month encirclement characterized by famine and heavy bombardment.
The exodus of those running from the violence towards the community of Tawila, approximately 80km (50 miles) west of el-Fasher, had increased in the recent days, per UNHCR representative.
Survivors were narrating terrible tales of abuses, such as sexual violence, and the organization was having trouble to secure adequate housing and nourishment for them.
All children was affected by nutritional deficiencies, she commented.
It is estimated that in excess of 150,000 individuals are presently stranded in el-Fasher, which had been the army's final fortress in the western region of Darfur.
The Rapid Support Forces has disputed extensive allegations that the deaths in el-Fasher are driven by ethnicity and resemble a practice of the Arab militia groups attacking non-Arab communities.
Nevertheless the RSF has custodied one of its militiamen, Abu Lulu, who has been accused of summary executions.
The force distributed video depicting the militiaman's apprehension following verification that he was responsible for the killing of numerous unarmed men in the vicinity of el-Fasher.
Social media platform has acknowledged that it has removed the account associated with Lulu. It is not clear whether he had managed the account in his identity.
Sudan was plunged into a internal conflict in April 2023 following a intense power struggle broke out between its army and the Rapid Support Forces.
This has led to a starvation emergency and accusations of genocide in the western Sudan.
In excess of 150,000 individuals have died in the conflict throughout the country, and about 12 million have left their dwellings in what the United Nations has called the biggest global humanitarian emergency.
The capture of el-Fasher solidifies the regional separation in the country, with the RSF now in command of the western region and a large portion of neighbouring Kordofan to the south, and the military occupying the main city, Khartoum, central and eastern areas along the coastal region.
The opposing sides had been collaborators - gaining control together in a seizure of power in 2021 - but split over an foreign-endorsed initiative to transition to democratic governance.